•He said Ruto should not be allowed to continue treating the public with political rhetoric, political conmanship and dishonest statements.
•This followed Ruto’s sentiments that he would rally his troops to oppose the Finance Bill and trash President Uhuru Kenyatta’s final budget.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
National Assembly Minority leader John Mbadi has castigated DP William Ruto for peddling lies about the proposed tax measures to fund the next fiscal year's budget.
Mbadi said it was wrong for Ruto to play populist politics with the tax proposals in the Finance Bill, 2022-still under processing.
He told journalists at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday that Ruto should not be allowed to continue treating the public with political rhetoric, conmanship and dishonest statements.
This followed Ruto’s sentiments that he would rally his troops to oppose the Finance Bill and trash President Uhuru Kenyatta’s final budget.
The DP told his supporters in Mt Kenya that the government was out to deplete their pockets with the proposed tax measures.
Together with his allies, the DP criticised the proposed VAT on maize flour and excise duty on motorcycles used by boda boda riders among other basic commodities.
But the ODM stalwart said the DP should be the last to speak on the tax measures, having participated in a push to overhaul the Value Added Tax Act in 2014.
Following the move, milk, bread, maize flour, animal feeds, and fertiliser were to be charged VAT at 16 per cent.
“Kenyans have not forgotten that immediately Jubilee came into power they introduced a bill to charge VAT on all basic commodities,” Mbadi said.
“This was passed with the tyranny of numbers. Ruto pushed its members to pass the VAT. It took the intervention of John Mbadi after which the VAT was reviewed.”
Mbadi said if he did not bring an amendment to the Act, all these goods would have been charged VAT at 16 per cent.
He said Ruto is also to blame for the food shortages in the country since his men were in charge of the Agriculture sector from 2013 to 2020.
“The people he recommended should have ensured Kenya was food sufficient,” the ODM chairman said.
Mbadi said the DP was being dishonest in his claims the government was out to oppress Kenyans with an expensive tax regime.
“Ruto knows that every finance bill, from 2013 when he became DP, has attempted to introduce VAT on certain basic commodities which are not vatable,” he said.
“He should be honest, not play populist politics. He should be speaking like a saint by his claims that the government has sought to increase the cost of living.”
The Suba South lawmaker said the National Assembly would not allow the proposed tax during the consideration of the Finance Bill, 2022.
He said the DP is aware that the National Assembly would not accept maize flour to be subjected to VAT or removed from zero-rated supplies.
“The National Assembly cannot participate in any effort that would result in the increase in the prices of basic commodities. Our members at the Finance committee are under instruction not to accept,” he said.
“Instead of talking at rallies and attempting to scandalise everything about the government of which he is part of, the DP should join Kenyans to address the issue of inflation.”
He said Kenyans need to be alert and understand that inflation has affected the whole world hence it is not honest for anyone to play cheap and populist politics.
Mbadi said it was time leaders came together and agreed on concrete solutions to the issues subjecting Kenyans to a high cost of living.
The ODM chairman said one of the solutions was to increase and give more money for the stabilisation of petroleum products.
“If you interfere with the cost of energy, there is general interference with the price of all basic commodities in the country,” he said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris